Identification means for tools



DecTlS; 1934. G. MLIRRAY 1,984,839

- IDENTIFICATION MEANS FOR TOOLS Filed-Nov. 7, 1933 2 She ets-Sheet-l18, 1-934. G. MURRAY IDENTIFICATION MEANS FOR TOOLS Filed Nov. 7, 19:552 Sheets-Sheet 2 Fig 1'].

Patented Dec. 18, 1934 v UNITED STATES 1,984,839 IDENTIFICATION MEANSFOR TOOLS Guy Leslie Murray, Leeds, England, assignor of one-half to.Neville England Ryland Davis, London,

Application November 7, 1933, Serial No. 697,066 In Great Britain May21, 1932 8 Claims.

This invention relates to tools such as drills, reamers, tapsand thelike; it is also, applicable to milling cutters, slot drills, drillsockets, adaptors, screw dies, thread chasers and similar articles, thewhole of the above being hereinafter termed and included in the termtool.

The object of this invention is to provide the tool with means .forindicating its size, dimension or other characteristic at a glance, thesaid marking or indication of the sizebeing adapted to cover the varyingsizes or dimensions of any range of tool.

The invention consists in hand, machine or like tools wherein said toolsare provided on one or more of their surfaces with one or more re-'cesses and/or protuberances arranged singly or in combination andadapted for the reception of a colouring medium or coloured substance,so as to provide a single colour or a combination of colours forindicating the size of, or the tool itself. I

The invention also includes means for apply ing to, and securing on, thetool an identity marking capable of serving both as an identification ofthe size of the tool and/or the complete tool itself.

The invention may further embrace an element adapted to be eitherremovably or permanently'secured to any desired part or parts of thetool, said element including means for displaying a colouridentification either by itself or in combination with a colour andshape identification.

The invention may further consist in an element capable of applicationto the tool in such a manner as to receive or retain acolouringternatively the element may be apertured to constitute windowsor openings (hereinafter referred to as windows) through which acoloured background, or insert can be seen. The said windows may beshaped to afford additional identification and also serve as an aid to acolour-blind person. The attachable element may be in the form of a clipadapted to grip some suitable part of the tool, or it may be adapted toengage in a recess formed in the tool, being secured in position by anadhesive medium, by crimping, by expansion, by spring or otherretainingmember, by the use of a suitable gripping material, or by a combinationof two or more of any of these expedients.

The identification means are adapted to be incorporated with tools forhand or machine operation, and such means can be additional to anyfigures, letters or like markings already on such tools, or added toexisting tools.

Also more than one attachable element may be employed and these may beconcentrated in one position or grouped in various positions on thetool.

Referring to the accompanying drawings, which show, merely by way ofexample, various embodiments of the invention:

Fig. 1 is a view illustrating a drill with rings.-

or grooves formed on its shank,

Figs. 2, 3 and 4 show various ways of arranging the grooves on the drillshank.

Figs. 5 and 6 are respectively an elevation and plan of a sleeve o'rcollar capable of being applied to the tool,

Figs. 7 and 8 illustrate a split sleeve or collar for the same purpose,

Figs. 9 and 10 show respectively a front elevation and a transversesectional view of a drill with an identification disc inserted in arecess,

Fig. 11 is an enlarged part sectional elevation of a sleeve or collarapplied to a drill and adapted I to hold a coloured insert,

Figs. 12 and 13 are respectively a similarly enlarged plan andelevation, showing a way of joining a split sleeve or collar,

Figs. 14, 15 and 16 are respectively a part sectional plan, a sectionalelevation and a developed plan all. enlarged, of amodified form ofcollar,

Fig. 17 is a developed plan, on a similar scale, of yet a furtherembodiment.

In the drawings, like parts are designated by like reference numeralsthroughout the various figures. ployed with the different tools) isillustrated by dots or section lines arranged in accordance with theHeraldic Convention, namely:-

RedBy vertical lines.

Yellow-By dots.

Black-By horizontal and vertical lines crossing each other.

Blue-By horizontal lines.

PurpleBy diagonal lines drawn from right to left in a downwarddirection.

The tool 1 (such as, say, a drill, having cutting edges formed in theusual and ordinary manner) may have formed on its shank'2 a number ofAlso the colour method or system (em- Y peripheral grooves, indents,protuberances, or longitudinal or transverse recesses which extendwholly or partially say, along or around the perimeter of the tool. Whentwo or more peripheral grooves (three are shown in Fig. 1 and markedrespectively 3, 4 and 5) are employed they may be of the same or unequalwidth and depth, and the sides or walls of each groove may be madeeither square or V-shaped, or with a flat or a semicircular bottom. Thegrooves 3, 4 and 5, are arranged at equal or unequal widths and/ordistances apart, and each groove may be covered or filled with an enamelor other paint or a substance such that when it-'the paint or enamel-isset it will become solid, and may be level with the perimeter of theshank 2 of the tool 1.

In some cases it may be found advisable to form the said grooves orrecesses 3, 4 and 5, in the periphery of a separate collar or sleeve, ora hollow boss 6, as shown in Figs. 5 to 8, which may or may not be splitin, say, a longitudinal, angular, or any other convenient manner. Thecollar, sleeve or hollow boss (hereinafter termed collar) is made of aferrous or nonferrous material or of, say, celluloid, or, the materialsold under the registered trade-mark Bakelite, or other suitablematerial or materials. When a split collar 7 is employed, then it isarranged to slip upon the shank 2 of the tool. 2 is reduced in diameterto provide a depressed area (as shown in Figs. 1, 2 and 9) to receivethe coloured markings or to fit tightly the internal diameter of thecollar 6 or 7. The longitudinal, transverse or angular recesses 8, 9, 10may be formed in the periphery of the reduced or other portion of theshank or of the collar as shown in Figs. 1 and 2, in place of the saidgrooves, as previously named. The sleeve may be contracted or crimpedonto a suitable part of the tool.

-As an example for carrying the invention into practice, for a tool,with English dimensions, say, of seven-eighths of an inch diameter, thenthree grooves 3, 4 and 5, of the same or different shapes and widths maybe applied and formedin the tool 1 during its process of manufacture,and each of the colours in the said grooves will indicate a portion ofthe dimension of the diameter of the tool, so that, when, say, threecoloursa red, a yellow, and a black-are employed which may be ofdifferent dimensions, the black may represent half an inch; the red aquarter of an inch, and the yellow an eighth of an inch, thus making upthe diameter of seven-eighths of an inch. In some cases thelongitudinal, angular, or partly circumferential recesses orprotuberances 8, 9 and 10, or both, may be used, which recesses orprotuberances may be of distinctive shape, length and size, suitablyspaced on the shank 2 of the tool 1. Each recess or protuberance 8, 9 or10 may be of the same or difierent size and of a different colour, sothat when more than one colour is employed the sum total number of thecolours will indicate the exact size of thetool. For example, say, oneof the recesses or protuberances may be red, another blue, and a thirdpurple, and when the measurements of each respective colour are addedtogether, then the size of the tool 1 is at once indicated.

A suitable shape for the recesses or protuberances may either be of theelongated type shown ir the drawings, or circular, square, or polygonal,but it should be distinctly understood that this method of indicatingthe size of the tool by a system of colours is not limited to the saidshapes.

In other cases, the shank.

If desired, one or more recesses 11 (Fig. 9) is, or are, formed in aconvenient portion of the tool 1 for the reception of one or moreinserts 12 of ferrous or non-ferrous material or other suitablesubstance, such, for example, as celluloid or paper encased incelluloid, or bakelite, or the like. The inserts 12 are in the form ofdiscs, letters, symbols, or other figures, or such shapes are formed in,or on, the inserts 12; in Fig. 9 three recesses 8, 9, 10 are shown in oron a circular insert 12.

The sizes and shapes of the identification markings are varied to suitthe size and shape of the tools 1 to which the colour or colours is orare applied. Also one ifaore recesses and/or protuberanoes may be formedin any convenient part of the tool; for example, in the case of drillsand taps, they may be located in one or more of the flutes 18, or in theend or ends thereof.

By the use of the method of colouring the tools theproblem of the rapididentification and classification of the tools in the tool-room and inother departments of a works is greatly simplified and errors of theexisting systems avoided.

By each dimension being indicated by a particular colour, oracombination of colours which is or are common to different kinds oftools, it ensures that only the proper appliances are used for eachportion of the work in hand, for exam-, ple the correct size of drillfor a particular size 53 of tap.

The herein described method of indication by colour may be applied totools required for English, metric, decimal or any other nomenclatureand varying from the smallest dimension to those of a larger size, sothat a workman will be sure of having the tool or tools of the exactsize required for the Work in hand by virtue of the colour or colours.

In Fig. 11 is shown a construction of clip 15, which allows for slightvariation in the diameter of the portion of the tool to be embraced. Theclip 15 is preferably of spring steel and is formed with an inturnedflange 16 top and bottom, the flange 16 being so fashioned as toconstitute an annular channel 17 for the purpose of receiving andholding a coloured insert 18. The latter is placed in position beforethe clip is applied to the tool.

Around the periphery of the clip are formed windows 19 (of any number,size or shape) by means of which the colours and/or shapeidentifications are displayed to indicate the type, nomenclature or.size of the tool.

The colour insert 18 may be of ferrous, non-ferrous or any otherappropriate substance such as celluloid, paper, paper encased incelluloid, or material such as bakelite.

Itis desirable to interpose between the clip 15 and the tool a layer ofresilient gripping material 20, such as rubber, paper, flbre or likesubstance capable of being compressed firmly into engagement with thetool. To increase this gripping action the material may be lined orimpregnated with emery, carborundum, or other suitable abrasive.

As illustrated in Figs. 12 and 13, the clip 15 may be jointed by theprovision of lugs 21 on the contiguous ends, which engage and are heldby a pin 22 in the manner of a hinge.

Alternatively as shown in Figs. 14, 15 and 16, one end 23 of the clip 15may be adapted to slide into the apertured turned-over portion 24 on theother end of the clip. In order to provide a selfwardly into engagementwith the end 23, as 15 tion of reduced diameter and a plurality ofrelooking or non-return action, the end 23 of the clip is formed withnotches. or indents 25 and a central slot 26 enables the end 23 tocontract inwardly in such a way as to permit the passage of the latterinto the apertured portion 24. CW- ing to the shape of the notches 25,the end 23 cannot come out of the apertured portion 24.

Fig 17 illustrates-a slightly modified construction wherein the end 23of the clip, instead of being notched, is left plain and extends thefull width ofthe interior of the clip. In order to lock it in position,a V-shaped tool is applied to ,the sides of the clip so as to crimp themetal inshown at 27.

In fitting the clips illustrated in Figs. 12- 17, the gripping materialis first applied in the correctj' position on the tool, whose size orother characteristic it is desired to indicate. The spring clip, withthe coloured insert already in position, is then placed around thegripping material and firmly closed by means of a suitable pair ofpliers or other clamping device.

As an alternative way of joining a clip, such as 15, the ends may bespotwelded together, while the clip is firmly heldin position as describedin the preceding paragraph.

By each dimension being indicated by a particular colour, or acombination of colours, which is or are common to different kinds oftools, it ensures that only the proper appliances are used for eachportion of the work in hand, for example the correct size of drill for aparticular size of tap.

It will be'apparent from an inspection of Figs. 1, 2, 9 and 10, and 11to 17, inclusive, that the coloured material which forms the identifyingcolour symbols is so arranged with respect to the means on the tool bywhich it is carried that it is protected against abrasion and possibleoblitera- ,tion. In Figs. 1 and 2, this protection is afforded by thearrangement of the grooves 3, 4 and 5 or recesses 8, 9 and 10 in aportion of the shank of the tool of reduced diameter, and in Figs. 9 and10 by the additional provision of the recess or recesses 11, whereas inFigs. 11 to 11 it is afforded by thethickness of the material of whichthe clips 15 are made.

What I claim and ters Patent is: I

, 1.-A toolhavingashankprovidedwithapordesire to secure by tea.

cesses formed therein, and a distinctive colouring substance applied toeach recess, the shank of the tool protecting the colouring substanceagainst abrasion by virtue of the location of such substance in theportion of reduced diameter.

' 2. A tool having a shank provided with a portion of reduced diameter,and a plurality of transverse circumferent-ial grooves in said portion,each of said grooves containing a coloured material, said colouredmaterial providing a means for identifying said tool as to dimension andclass, and being protected against abrasion by said shank.

3. A tool having a shank provided with a portion of reduced diameter,and a plurality of trans,- verse circumferential grooves in saidportion, each of said grooves containing a differently colouredmaterial, said coloured material providingv a means for identifying saidtool as to dimension and class, and being protected against abrasion bysaid shank. 1

4. A tool having a shank provided with a portion of reduced diameter, arecess formedin said portion, and a coloured insert filled into saidrecess and protected thereby and by said shank against abrasion.

5. A tool having a shank provided with a depressed area and afrecessformed in said area, and an indicator in color in said recess foridentifying said'tool and protected by said shank against abrasion. w h

6. A tool having a shank provided with a depressed area and a pluralityof recesses in said area, each of said recesses containing a coloredmaterial, said colored material providing means for identifying saidtool, and being protected by said shank against abrasion.

7. A tool having a shank provided with a portion of reduced diameterand'a circular recess in said portion, andan indicator in color in saidrecess for identifying said tool-and protected by said shank againstabrasion.

-' 8. A tool having a shank provided with a portion of reduced diameterand a circular. recess in said portion, and an insert mounted in saidcircular recess providing an indicator in color for identifying saidtool and protected by said

